Strangers in the Night
by twilighter256
Summary: "He wasn't here. We met here every night, at the same time without fail for the past two years. What the hell could he be up to?" Paul x OC series of one-shots; will be added as new chapters under this story. I do not own any characters from Lost Boys.
1. Strangers in the Night

The smoke from my cigarette drifted upwards in lazy tendrils, like slender fingers reaching forth to pluck a star from the night sky. I took another drag and let the smoke settle into my lungs before letting it back out.

He wasn't here. We met here every night, at the same time without fail for the past two years. What the hell could he be up to?

I felt a wave of concern and the sharp stab of some other emotion I didn't want to acknowledge. Frowning, I flicked off some of the burnt ashes from my cigarette. I decided I would wait another ten minutes and if he didn't show up I was going to go find something else to do tonight. Maybe I would finally go get my ears pierced finally, or go watch the band performing tonight.

I leaned back against the railing, watching the herd of tourists trample through the boardwalk. Families were heading towards the rides, flooding the lines with howling children and impatient parents. Couples were strolling up and down the street, playing the fair games to try and win prizes for their loves and then sneaking down to the darkened beach to give themselves some privacy from the roaring crowd to celebrate their winnings.

All of the locals knew that you didn't really come out after a certain time during tourist season. But, here I was, facing the crowds for a guy who didn't even show up. A guy whose name I didn't even _know_. I huffed and let my cigarette butt drop to the ground, grinding my toe to make sure it was out completely. I could taste my jealousy and hurt blend with the nicotine flavor in my mouth.

Which was ridiculous, as I started to think about it. We weren't in a relationship; hell, we might not even be what people considered friends. The only thing we knew about each other was the brand of cigarettes that we smoked. Our agreement to meet at our spot was a silent agreement, one that might not be as mutual as I thought.

Maybe I had made it up in my head and thought that he enjoyed my company as much as I enjoyed his. He was quiet; other than asking for a cigarette or a light and random comments he didn't say a word, and usually I didn't either. His presence was calm compared to the chaos that usually reigns the boardwalk. It allowed me to breathe through the anxiety that wanted to swallow me whole so I could people watch in peace. It was a feeling I was used to, and with him not here it opened my eyes to how much I had come to rely on him and the peace he carried with him.

I felt another wave of irritation and anger fall over me so I stepped away from the railing and slipped into the flow of the traffic, swiftly heading towards the exit where my bike was parked. I was tired from a day of working and without him here I could feel the sights, smells, and noises of the boardwalk closing in on me like cement walls.

Children ran past my legs, squealing as they continued to weave through the legs of the adults race to get to the cotton candy stand just down the way. Teenagers were laughing loudly as they casually roamed through the stores. A man appeared in front of me, knocking into my shoulder. I flinched and dropped my head, picking up the pace.

On my way out I passed the merry-go-round, which was teeming with people. The sickeningly sweet music floated towards me, causing a sharp pain through my brain. Normally I avoided it—because it seemed that this ride was tourist magnet and the thought of that many people being in one place usually causes my heart to race—but today I decided to look up as I passed by and I felt my heart hit the floor and crack.

There he was, draped casually against the pole of one of the horses, a small smile on his face as he stared down at the girl riding the chestnut horse across from his. She had brown, wavy hair highlighted with a shade of cheap bottle blonde that flowed down to the small of her back and I could see the flush on her cheeks from all the way over here. His smile became wicked and he leaned down to whisper something in her ear. Whatever it was made her cheeks turn from lobster red to fire truck red. He moved away from her slightly and looked up, managing to catch my eye. His smile dropped and I could see the recognition start to bloom in his baby blues.

The jealousy bubbled up inside of me; the fact that he skipped tonight for some tourist who won't even be here for a week stung. The thought that he forgot about me felt like I had my chest caught in a vice grip.

My mouth twisted into a sour grimace and I flipped him off, pulling another cigarette out of my pocket as I continued towards my bike. If he wanted to flirt with that other girl, that was fine. It is a free country and he isn't obligated to smoke with me every night. However, I could hear the hollowness of that statement echoing around in the shadows of my mind. I ignored it.

I finally made it out to my bike, peeking warily at the dark shadows between the cars and other bikes. It was not uncommon for muggers to be waiting there, looking for some unfortunate victim. Most knew what my bike looked like and not to mess with it, but there was always the one or two people who did not get the memo. Today I just wasn't in the mood, though, so I prayed that they have decided to stay away.

I rolled the cigarette between my fingers and debated lighting it. I wanted to, just to calm my nerves and spite him, but at the same time I could feel the siren's song my bed was singing to me. The thought of hiding away in my soft bed with my sea of blankets, my cat and hot cup of tea sounded like the perfect way to forget this night.

"Hey."

I stiffened but didn't turn around, not wanting to look at him right now. The first time he decides to start a conversation and it is wasted because I couldn't stand to see his face right now. My gut reaction was to flee from all of this craziness, so I threw my leg over my bike and kicked up the kickstand.

"Don't go." A hand decked with different types of bracelets, some chain link and some spiked, reached out and grabbed the handle. "We need to talk."

I snorted and twisted the handle away and out from under his grasp. "We really don't."

I started my motorcycle and he quickly jumped in front of my bike, now holding both of my handle bars. He leaned over until we were only about five inches apart, making sure to maintain the connection between his eyes and my honey brown eyes. "We really do."

"Why?" I snarled, "You're not my boyfriend, hell you can hardly call us _friends_. You're under no contract or—or duty to meet with the lonely, little Goth girl every night to have a smoke. I get it, really, I do. She was pretty, you should go back before she starts to get concerned."

He didn't say anything, just continued to stare at me until I huffed, blushed, and turned my bike off. I put the kickstand down and leaned back, crossing my arms in front of me. His need to test my personal boundaries was seriously starting to bug me. If he didn't stop soon, he was going to get a broken nose.

"You think that I really wanted to spend time with that girl?" He asked, finally breaking his silence.

"Uh, yeah. It looked like you were having a pretty good time to me," I huffed.

His lips twisted into a smirk before breaking into a laugh that seemed to shake his entire body. He let his head fall forward, the blonde poof on his head covering his face. The longer he laughed the more I could feel my frown become deeper and my face become redder. "What's so funny?"

He toned down his laughter until it was the occasional chuckle and lifted his head, but you could still tell by the amusement in his eyes that he wasn't quite done finding the situation funny. "Sunshine, if I could only begin to explain how miserable I was. Talking to that girl was _awful_."

I snorted. "I highly doubt that. She looked like your type."

"Oh, and what do you know about my 'type'?"

"Nothing really, which fits in with everything else I know about you. But, you guys look like you belong together. With your fledgling Bon Jovi vibe and her with her acceptably-edgy get up, it just works."

"And don't you dare laugh again," I added, hearing another wave of laughter rumbling from inside his chest. "Or I will ride away and leave you face down on the ground."

His lips twitched, suppressing the chuckle that I knew wanted to fly out of his mouth. "Oh Sunshine, if we were matched up with the people others thought we fit with, the world would be more fucked up than normal."

"Then what _were _you doing, you Twisted Sister-looking Socrates?"

"There it is," he smiled, leaning forward a little bit more, "There is the question you have been dying to ask."

"Pfft, _okay_." I rolled my eyes. "In your dreams."

"How did you know that you were in my dreams?"

At that I busted out laughing, bracing my arms on my knees and leaning forward. He started laughing at his joke as well, moving away to lean against the car to my left, looking down at me with bright eyes. Eventually our peals of laughter faded away and I closed my eyes and sighed, enjoying the silence. It was like a hug: warm, familiar, and safe. I felt lighter—the laughter acting like a healing balm on the wounds left behind by my irrational jealousy.

I heard a cough and opened my eyes, glancing up to find him still staring down at me. However, his eyes had dimmed a little and softened, reminding me of a light blue velvet. "I was helping my brother out. He liked the girl, but he was too shy to go up to him. So, I went up to her for him."

"Well, that was sweet of you," I offered semi-sarcastically, smiling, "Does that put you in the running for 'Wingman of the Year'?"

"I wish," he snorted, "No, I'm in the running for something else that was way harder."

"Oh really, and what was that?"

"If you come back tomorrow to smoke with me, you'll find out," He offered, wiggled his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled and nodded in agreement. "Same spot as usual?"

"You know it!" He pushed off the car, dropping forward to cage me in my arms and stare into my eyes. I thought I saw a glimmer of gold in his iris, but before I could get a second look it disappeared.

"And no ditching me for some preppy tourist?" I asked, not breaking the stare between us.

"Boy Scout's honor," He winked and smiled brightly. Sweet Jesus, he had to have had a great dentist. His teeth were so white they were like neon headlights in the dark parking lot. "One more thing before I go, Sunshine, what's your name? You know, since we're actually talking to each other now."

I chuckled, "My name is Salem. And yours?"

"Paul. My name is Paul. It is nice to finally meet you, Salem."


	2. I Get A Kick Out Of You

**Even though Paul and Salem's story was only meant to be a one-shot, I have been inspired to write a couple of additional one-shots about them (which is code for "I have been trying to distract myself from finishing "Lost Boys and Golden Girls"). ****They will all be independent one-shots for now, so I will be posting them all under "Strangers in the Night". **

**Enjoy!**

**-Twi**

* * *

"Sunshine!"

I smirked around the cigarette, cutting my eyes over to meet his baby blues. They were alight with mischief and amusement tonight. He leaned his right hip against my railing to my left, taking one of his hands and running it through his untamed mane of blonde hair.

"Paul...You look like you have been up to no good. What did you do now?"

"Me?" He cried indignantly, clutching his chest, "I'll have you know that I am what they consider an 'upstanding citizen'!"

I snorted and shot him a look that was a silent "Really?" and his innocent facade crumbled, leaving behind a wicked smile and laughing eyes. I rolled my eyes in response, taking a quick puff from my cigarette.

"Sunshine, would you mind sharing a cigarette tonight? The store is out of my favorite brand and I can't find anyone who is selling them right now."

"Sorry, can't help you there. This one is my last one."

Paul groaned and dramatically flung himself back against the railing. I chuckled, but continued to slowly smoke my cigarette.

I took to my usual hobby of people watching, letting his silence wash over me and create a bubble against the normal din. It was almost time for school to start again, so everybody was out for one more outing to the boardwalk before summer ended.

While I was preoccupied, though, I missed his head snapping forwards and turning to face me with a shit-eating grin.

"Sunshine." I startled out of my trance and turned to face him. Before I could blink my cigarette was plucked from my fingers and Paul had it in his mouth and was taking a deep pull.

I frowned, glaring at his smug face. "That was rude, Bon Jovi. Give it back."

He let the smoke drift out of his mouth and I watched as he relaxed as the nicotine hit his system "If you want it, come and get it, Sunshine."

I gritted my teeth. "Seriously, Paul? Give it back."

He shook his head and grinned, silently daring me.

I felt my irritation start to boil in my blood, but then an idea hit me and the irritation faded away. Shooting him a sultry smile, I slinked up to him, pausing when I was about two inches away from him. I let my hands reach out towards the railing beside him and slowly started to lean in even closer to him. He was caged between my arms and I felt his body tense, but instead of fighting me he stayed where he was. His head tilted and he seemed to size me up, his mind racing to try and figure out what my next move was going to be.

"I think...that's mine," I whispered, reaching up and snagging my cigarette from between his loose lips. I remained close to him for about two more seconds before I let go of the railing and rocked back, smirking when his mouth dropped down into a perfect "O".

I inhaled and felt my body relax as the nicotine hit my lungs. Even though I wasn't looking at him, I could feel his unwavering gaze locked onto me, watching my every move. When my curiosity won out, I turned and caught his eyes darkening until they were almost a navy color. His hands on the railing were clenched until they were a pale white and his body remained tense, as if he was restraining himself from moving forwards.

Sending him a wink, I quickly turned away and melted into the flood of the tourists, throwing a wink and a "Go get your own!" over my shoulder. The peals of his answering laugh seemed to follow me all of the way home.


	3. That's Life

**TW: Minor Violence, Mugging, Pepper Spray, Some Cursing**

**That's Life**

I ducked out the back door of the store before anyone could notice that I was gone. I knew that if I had stayed any longer they would have asked me to stay. Jessica had called out, leaving the store short-staffed on their busiest night. Normally I would have stayed, but I would have had to miss Paul and I's nightly smoking session and no amount of money is worth that.

One of the first rules of the boardwalk was to always pay attention to your surroundings. Unfortunately I forgot that rule and was too busy panicking about being late and digging through my purse to make sure I had grabbed all of my stuff to notice the person standing in the alley watching me.

Their hands shot out and snagged me, dragging me into the grimy darkness of the side alley. My back hit the wall and the air left my lungs in a sharp gasp. I got just a quick second to look at his face before a hand reached for my neck. I cried out in shock and his hand flexed lightly; not enough to actually cut off my supply, but enough to send me a warning to not make too much of a fuss. Dread turned my stomach into a lead weight and I could feel it weighing me down.

His hands were large, almost able to wrap all of the way around my neck. Even though he wasn't too much taller than me, his frame was at least two times wider. His hair and his beard was long and tangled, but his clothes were relatively clean. Hard green eyes rimmed in red glared down at me, narrowed and irritated. Though I don't know why he would be irritated, he wasn't the one dragged into a dark alley to be mugged.

"Listen, bitch," His low voice growled. I cringed as the smell of his breath hit me, it smelled like rot and alcohol. "You aren't going to scream or fight. If you make this harder than necessary you will regret it, understood?"

I swallowed nervously and nodded. He smiled, revealing yellowed and crooked teeth.

"Good," he purred, flexing his hand again, "Give me everything in your purse. Starting with your wallet."

Immediately I started digging through my purse and I pulled out my wallet. He took it and stuffed it in his pockets. I started to pull out a bracelet that I kept hidden in my purse but then felt the cold can of pepper spray that I had forgotten was there. I kept my face scared, but rapidly put together a plan.

Dropping my bracelet back in my purse I slipped the canister in my palm. I sent a quick prayer to the universe and unlocked the safety before clenching my eyes shut and bringing it up, spraying where I thought his eyes were. Apparently my aim was true because he started screaming immediately and let me go. I hit the ground and stumbled a little, but righted myself and started to run towards the entrance of the alley.

My eyes were burning too and my sight became fuzzy, probably from some blow-back of the pepper spray that got into my eyes, but I kept pushing forwards towards the light. I needed to reach the lights before he recovered. I bumped into trash cans and tripped over trash bags, but I finally reached the boardwalk and I lunged out into the familiar lights.

As I stepped out I ran into someone, falling back with an "oof". Whoever I had run into started to grumble angrily, but quickly stopped as they took in my state.

"Are you okay?" asked a quiet, masculine voice, "Are you hurt?"

"M..Mugged," I wheezed, my throat was starting to burn and it made it painful to breathe "I...pepper-sprayed the guy, but I got... in my eyes." At that point my adrenaline seemed to wear off and a wave of emotion overcame me. Before I could stop myself I started to cry, which amplified the tightness of my chest and the burning in my eyes.

"Hey," the voice continued. I felt hands gingerly clutch my shoulders and pull me up off the ground. He let go, but I could still see that he stayed close to me even though people were walking around us like we weren't even there. "Don't cry, we will take care of it."

He gently grabbed my elbow and maneuvered me to the nearest food cart where he demanded several cups of water. From there he guided me over to some benches and sat me down. He lightly tapped me on the forehead and I allowed him to push it back until I was leaning slightly back. Then, he started to slowly pour the water over my eyes.

After the third cup the burning started to ease up. After the fifth one I was able to open my eyes just enough to finally get a look at my knight in shining armor. He was tall, about as tall as Paul if not just a touch taller, with long, black, shining hair. He had no shirt on, but was wearing what looked like a black jacket. From one ear a silver earring with a feather dangled.

On the tenth cup he decided that that was enough and handed me a piece of cloth. I wasn't sure where he got it, but it was clean so it worked. I dabbed gently at the excess water around my eyes, ignoring the angry twinge from the sore skin and the lingering burn in my eyes. He remained silent, watching me thoughtfully.

"Thank you," I murmured once I finished, handing him back the cloth. He nodded and took the cloth and dumped it into the trash can next to us.

Before I could continue I heard a familiar voice tinged with worry cry, "Sunshine!" from over by the rides. I turned towards the voice and shortly afterwards I was gathered up and pressed into Paul's chest. I took a deep breath and savored the scent of nicotine, incense, and Chinese food. A feeling of safety flooded over me and I felt my eyes start to water with tears again. I fought them back and dug my face into Paul's chest while wrapping my arms around him tightly.

"Sunshine. Salem, look at me." He cupped my jaw softly and tilted it back so he could inspect my face. I started to feel embarrassed at how much of a mess I probably looked, but it faded away in the light of his concern. When he was satisfied he dropped my jaw, looking down at me with pinched eyebrows and lips that were twisted with anxiety. "Are you okay?"

I nodded and glanced around us, looking for the man who helped me. He was standing next to two other boys. The shorter one had curly honey blonde hair and impish eyes that reminded me of Paul. When he noticed me watching him he smirked and wiggled his fingers. I moved my gaze to the guy beside him.

This one was the most dangerous out of all of them. He moved with the grace of a big cat, an icy nonchalance that belied the power coiled within him, and his eyes seemed to be aware of everything that was going on around him. Between that and his choice of duster, I was already aware of the danger and decided to remain alert.

"I'm okay. Thanks to the guy over there, with the black hair." I nodded over to him and the guy smiled. "I was mugged after I got out of work and I pepper-sprayed the asshole, but some of it blew back into my eyes."

"She stumbled out of an alley and I realized that she was hurt. So I helped her wash out the pepper spray in her eyes." He added, flitting between watching Paul and I and the tourists walking around.

Paul sighed and brought me close again. "Thank you, Dwayne. I owe you."

Dwayne nodded and focused back on the crowd.

"How do you know, Dwayne?" I asked Paul.

Paul worried his lip briefly, but turned me around to face the others. "Salem, I'd like you to meet my brothers."

"You've already met Dwayne." Dwayne sent me a small smile and I gave him a shaky one in return.

"This is Marko." He pointed to the guy with the curly hair who was hiding behind his fingernails.

"And I'm David," the guy with the mullet and trench coat offered, staring at me coolly.

"Nice to meet you," I mumbled, meeting his eyes for about ten seconds before moving on to face the crowd. I squinted as the lights hit my sensitive eyes. "I'm guessing you're not blood-related."

"Really? What gave you that idea?" Marko asked curiously, his eyes as bright as the patchwork jacket he was wearing.

"Call it a hunch," I shot back dryly, smirking.

"We may not be blood, but we are brothers all the same," Dwayne stated quietly.

I nodded and sat back down on the bench, leaning back and closed my eyes as exhaustion hit my body.

"Are you really okay?" Paul asked, looking down at me with worried eyes.

"I'm okay, I'm just tired and frustrated. I dropped my purse when I ran away, so I don't have my keys or my wallet and I had a bracelet tucked in it from my mother."

"Don't worry about it, we'll get you home," David offered, nodding to the other boys. Before I could protest Paul and Marko had dragged me up off of the bench and were guiding me through the masses and towards their bikes.

"You really don't have to," I tried backpedaling, but they were relentless and strong as hell. They managed to propel me forwards as if I didn't weigh more than a feather. "I can call my roommate and have her come pick me up."

"Don't worry about it, Sunshine. You're one of us, we've got your back," Marko said with a grin as big as the Cheshire Cat's.

"Wait, what? When did I agree to join your gang?"

"You didn't, but that's okay because you don't have to. We view it more as an adoption." David turned and shot me a small grin. Before I could respond we strolled up to their bikes and I was distracted by their bikes.

They weren't the latest models, but they were well loved and you could tell. They were maintained until they were in perfect condition: polished, not a scratch or dent in sight. I could only imagine the purr that would roll out of the engine when they were started up and I felt my body vibrate in anticipation.

"Hop on, Sunshine." Paul patted the space behind him. Not needing to be told twice, I swung my leg over and my arms turned into iron bars around his waist. My instincts were telling me that this was not going to be a smooth, casual ride.

David's bike roared to life, shortly followed by the other boys. We peeled out of the boardwalk and into the night with the sounds of revving engines, squealing tires, and howls of laughter.

* * *

The next morning, I walked out to grab the mail and found my motorcycle in my driveway and my purse lying on the front step with my bracelet resting gingerly on top.


	4. The Best is Yet to Come

"Paul! What are we going to do?" I hissed as we pushed through the crowds. His hand a firm grip over my wrist and he was pulling me behind him as we weaved and dodged through the crowd. Behind us I could hear the aging security guard bark out a "Hey! Stop!" as he tried to catch up to us. If we didn't do something quickly he would catch up to us, because for some reason that man was running as if he was competing for an Olympic gold medal.

I heard Paul mutter and before I could blink he had dragged me into a tiny side alley between a tattoo parlor and a bar. It was so small that we could barely fit inside and it stunk of rotting food and garbage.

It was such a tight fit that we had to push ourselves together until our chests were pressed tight against each other. I was breathing heavily, trying vainly to silence my harsh breaths and Paul was taking some deep breaths, but his were not as labored as mine. Right then and there I decided that if I was going to continue this friendship I needed to get a gym membership and start training. Immediately.

He mimed to me to be quiet and I nodded, smiling. We both turned to face the mouth of the alley and soundlessly watched as the security guard raced right past our hiding spot, his face splotched with a lovely shade of tomato red that emphasized his scowl.

After a few minutes we realized that we were still clinging to the other and we stepped slightly back from each other. Paul's breathing had evened out, but I was still winding down from our impromptu sprint.

"So, what did you do this time?" I asked, my voice still a little wheezy.

"Have you ever thought that maybe I'm innocent in all of this?"

"You? Innocent?" My lips quirked in amusement. "I highly doubt that. Now, what did you do?"

He tilted his face back and huffed, causing a piece of tuft from his bangs to flick upwards. I giggled but then straightened my face back into the proper "I-Demand-To-Know-Everything" face. His eyes dropped to mine and he sheepishly grinned.

"I might have been flirting with his niece."

Before I could stop myself a laugh slipped from my throat. "How do you know that it was his niece?"

Another huff. "He told me to leave his niece alone, and I might have made a smart ass remark."

"And then what?" I questioned, smiling brightly. Even though I was still annoyed that he dragged me into this, I was still feeling giddy with adrenaline so I was going to ride this high until it dropped.

"He told me to get off the boardwalk, I responded in a 'hostile manner' and then he started to chase me," Paul grumbled, shifting from one leg to the other.

I tried to hide my giggles, but eventually they were cascading from my mouth as I leaned forwards and supported myself with his body. He joined in soon afterwards with his trademark deep chuckles and he wrapped his arms around my waist. We continued delighting in our victory for about five minutes before our laughter faded away, leaving us standing in the small alley with me wrapped up in his arms.

"We should be able to leave now, I think he's gone," I whispered.

"We could."

The sudden silence settled over us like a heavy blanket, making everything fuzzy and slightly warmer than it was before. I looked up to see into his eyes, but I caught him glancing down at my lips. My cheeks flooded with heat and I saw his eyes light up like twinkling Christmas lights.

"Or... we could do this."

He dropped his head and when his lips were a hairsbreadth away from touching mine he paused. I nodded and he closed the distance in milliseconds, releasing a groan when our mouths finally met. My breath hitched and I let my body fall the rest of the way, letting it catch itself with his, sinking further into his embrace.

Even though it was probably only a few seconds, it felt like an eternity before we both drew back to take in some air.

"You know, Paul, I think you have finally had a good idea," I said, licking my lips to get a taste of him that seemed to be lingering on my lips.

"Oh really?" He grinned wickedly, shifting his arms to bring me as close as he could.

"Yeah. I might even buy you a cake to celebrate."

He snorted and pulled me in for another kiss.

* * *

**Hey! Are you guys just as surprised as I am that I managed to get some more story parts published without waiting for a whole year? lol**

**Anyways, I was inspired to write this so I threw it together and did some editing. I hope you guys enjoy this new bit as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**-Twi**

* * *

_Inspired by a post on Pinterest, which I think can be found on Tumblr by user Sungfs. FF will not allow me to share the link, but if you are curious I will send it to you via messenger._


	5. Come Fly With Me

"Sunshine!"

I wiped the tears from my eyes quickly before I turned to watch as Paul bounded over to where I was standing like a giant hyped-up Labrador Retriever. The other boys were a few feet behind him, snickering. When he caught up to me he almost fell in his haste to stop. Before I could reply he threw his arms around me and pulled me into his body, hanging on to me as if I was going to float away without him there to anchor me.

I leaned forward and let my head drop onto his shoulder, using his body to hide my blotchy face and red, aching eyes from the others. I slid my arms around his waist, hanging on tightly as well. I could feel the urge to start crying and my despair rise so I gritted my teeth and clenched my eyes shut.

"Babe," Paul purred, kissing the top of my head. A sob ripped itself from my throat and I swallowed vainly, hoping to shove the other ones that wanted to follow back down into my chest.

"Sunshine, are you okay?" His tone was loaded with concern. He went to pull back to look at my face but I followed, refusing to let my head part from his shoulder. I know that I would have to answer his questions now, but I wanted to hide away in his embrace for another couple of seconds until I could pull myself together. "Salem?"

I heard the other boys come and stand around us, shielding us from the curious stares of the tourists. In that moment I have never felt more grateful. It made me feel just a tiny bit safer.

Another sob fell from my lips and I felt his arms stiffen around me, causing me to flinch away from him. As I stepped back, the peaceful feeling of being shielded popped and I promptly burst into tears as all of my emotions overwhelmed me.

"Hey," He cooed, reaching up to cup my face and tilt it up so he could inspect me. With all of my tears I could barely make out his face.

"What's wrong, Babe? Did someone hurt you?" I shook my head and sniffled, wiping away at my eyes. He and the other boys remained silent as I dropped my head and sucked in several deep breaths of air.

"What's going on?" Paul asked quietly.

"Two of my friends have been murdered," I cried, my voice crackling like broken glass. He reached over and grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Their bodies were found this morning on the beach."

The hand in mine stiffened and gave a small jerk. I looked up and all of the boys seemed to be frozen. David, Dwayne, and Marko were looking out at the ocean view behind us with sad eyes. Paul, however, met my eyes. His lips were twisted in a grimace, his eyebrows furrowed, and his stare was drowning with remorse and sympathy.

"I'm sorry to hear that," David offered softly, lighting up a cigarette. "Do they know the cause of death, yet?"

I shook my head. "No, though the officer said that in the... state they were in it would be impossible to tell exactly what killed them. The only thing they know is that their death was very violent." The silence that followed was palpable, even with the sounds of the tourists and the rumble of the ocean.

"Our condolences," Dwayne offered quietly, breaking the ranks to sweep me up in his arms.

"Thanks," I murmured. His arms tightened around me and I sighed. Eventually I gently pushed myself away, feeling the mask that I usually hid my emotions under slide back over my face. Dwayne looked me over one more time, nodded when he had found whatever he was looking for and backed away. Paul snuck up to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I leaned my head onto his shoulder and his hand started to stroke up and down my arm. I felt my body relax just a hair more.

"Come on," Marko said, breaking from the line and leading us into the crowds. Everyone immediately parted to let us in. "Let's go get all the funnel cake we could eat and go ride some rides."

"I don't know. I'm not really feeling in the mood for some rides," I countered hesitantly, "Today was busy at work and I don't think I'd be good company. I should go home."

"Hey, don't say that," Paul said, "We don't care that you're not 'good company' right now. We don't hang out with you just because you're fun. You're one of us, let us make you feel better."

I bit my lip and debated silently. On one hand, I really wanted to go home, take a long bath, and then go to bed so I can forget all about today for a bit. But, on the other hand, I wanted to stay with the boys for just a little bit longer to soak up their easy affection.

"Fine," I decide, squeezing Paul's waist and smiling, "Let's go ride some rides."

Paul and Marko whooped and David and Dwayne gave me small smiles, which I returned. As we walked I felt myself really start to relax into Paul. His arm tightened around my waist and he smiled down at me, giving me a short kiss.

We started on the giant wooden roller coaster at the far end of the boardwalk and slowly snaked our way back to the front. We rode the Ferris wheel twice-mainly because Marko and Paul were fighting over who would ride with me in the small cart-and then we hit the Tilt-a-Whirl before playing some games, where David had won a massive, wildly striped hot pink and teal blue zebra for me. We ended the night with a ride on the carousel, watching as people started to clear from the boardwalk. David and Dwayne were leaning up against some horses two down from mine and Marko was laying across the back of his horse, watching the world pass by in an upside-down blur. I shuddered as my stomach twisted at the thought.

Paul was standing next to the horse I was on, just behind me with his arm still wrapped around my waist. He had not removed his arm other than for getting on the rides, thankfully. At this point it felt like that was the only thing holding together everything that wanted to fall apart.

My heart still contained an empty spot that seemed to have a constant ache, but the energy of the boys allowed that ache to soften, going from a bright burning pain to what felt like smoldering embers.

I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around his waist, bringing him even closer to me. He shot me a bright smile back and kissed the top of my head before letting his head rest against the top of mine. I closed my eyes and basked in the feeling of joy and safety that seemed to emit from every space of his body.

"How are you feelin', Sunshine?" Paul whispered.

"I'm...okay," I hummed, looking away from his curious stare to look at the thinning masses. "It still hurts, it'll probably hurt for a while, but you guys distracted me and I had a lot of fun tonight. It made everything so much easier to bear. Thank you, Paul."

"We'd do anything for you, Sunshine. Anything." He pressed another kiss, this time to my temple. At Paul's statement the other boys looked up and sent me large smiles. I smiled back while wiping away my tears.


End file.
